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January 25, 2010 6:44 AM   Subscribe

No Kicking Penguins - How a 7-year-old autistic boy created an internet meme that found its way to Antarctica.
posted by Brodiggitty (48 comments total) 8 users marked this as a favorite
 
If Google auto-complete doesn't know about it, it isn't a meme. (Not to mention the actual results are the site itself plus another "news" story post about it and that's it.)
posted by DU at 6:48 AM on January 25, 2010 [2 favorites]


Kicking Hopkin Green Frog, however, is perfectly kosher.
posted by davelog at 6:49 AM on January 25, 2010 [2 favorites]


This is important and relevant advice, as those little suckers look a bit like cute little waddling black and white rugby balls. It's perfectly understandable that somebody might let loose and punt one.
posted by ardgedee at 6:52 AM on January 25, 2010 [1 favorite]


I have to tell you, I am not sure that a bright-line rule prohibiting penguin punting is 'propriate. What if the penguin is about to be struck by a trolley car? Ethically, one MUST kick the little fellow to safety. This 7-year-old boy really needs to think through the unintended consequences of his tyrannical edicts.
posted by Mister_A at 6:55 AM on January 25, 2010 [10 favorites]


If Google auto-complete doesn't know about it, it isn't a meme.

Forced meme is forced
posted by delmoi at 6:59 AM on January 25, 2010 [5 favorites]


I just Googled the old Penguin biscuits 'pick up a penguin' catchprase to do a cheap 'kick up a penguin' joke and was surprised to find this.
posted by permafrost at 7:02 AM on January 25, 2010 [4 favorites]


Penguin... nun... habit... kick...

Nah.
posted by pracowity at 7:02 AM on January 25, 2010 [2 favorites]


Mister_A: Surely the ethical action was to push the heavy sea lion off the pedestrian bridge, into the path of the trolley car, so that it will slow down the car and save the penguins?
posted by honest knave at 7:02 AM on January 25, 2010 [3 favorites]


I wholeheartedly approve of this new policy.
posted by azpenguin at 7:04 AM on January 25, 2010 [2 favorites]


It's still cool to punch awks though, right?
posted by Mister_A at 7:08 AM on January 25, 2010


You've not truly lived until you've slapped a stormy petrel about a few times is all I can say on the matter.
posted by Abiezer at 7:12 AM on January 25, 2010 [3 favorites]


Never trust a man who can't thrash a puffin in a fistfight, that's my motto.
posted by flashboy at 7:19 AM on January 25, 2010 [5 favorites]


"You looking at my bird?"
posted by Abiezer at 7:35 AM on January 25, 2010 [1 favorite]




Man, you should have seen them kicking Edgar Allan Poe.
posted by Electric Dragon at 7:44 AM on January 25, 2010 [10 favorites]


Then, of course, there's Schrödinger's Penguin, which remains at once both kicked and unkicked, until you open the icebox.
posted by steef at 7:47 AM on January 25, 2010 [3 favorites]


Nah, dude, walruses are arctic. This is the antarctic. Try to keep up?
posted by nebulawindphone at 7:48 AM on January 25, 2010


Egg-men might live in Antarctica. I've never been entirely clear on what they were.
posted by nebulawindphone at 7:48 AM on January 25, 2010 [1 favorite]


Slide
posted by Babblesort at 7:49 AM on January 25, 2010 [2 favorites]


This old codger kept a stuffed Dodo in the corner. Ocassionaly he would rise from his chair make his way over to the specimin and then while kicking at it and laughing maniacly he would wheeze and sputter "You stupid Dodo dumb Dodo."

That old codger, with the Dodo, that he kicked. That old codger was Roy Cohn.
posted by pianomover at 8:03 AM on January 25, 2010


If Google auto-complete doesn't know about it, it isn't a meme.

Since some people never leave their gated community, it might be useful to point out that it's a reddit thing that's been playing out over the last few weeks. At least some people over there thought it was a fun little story. Guess they just don't get this Internet thing.
posted by effbot at 8:06 AM on January 25, 2010




If Google auto-complete doesn't know about it, it isn't a meme.

And plus, No Kicking Penguins is almost literally transcribed from the book of the same name by Stephen King.
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 8:12 AM on January 25, 2010 [5 favorites]


I think a better rule would be "No more crappily-formatted Telegram articles".
posted by m0nm0n at 8:18 AM on January 25, 2010


Is tripping penguins okay?

Ten years later and that clip STILL cracks me up, yeah I'm lame.
posted by saucysault at 8:22 AM on January 25, 2010 [3 favorites]


Michelle was thrilled with his cleverness

This all makes me pretty uncomfortable. Non sequiter as cleverness. They are going to give this kid a book deal and make him a consultant to the World Wildlife Fund.
posted by anniecat at 8:30 AM on January 25, 2010


Is this something I have to be running Linux to understand?
posted by salishsea at 8:34 AM on January 25, 2010 [1 favorite]


They're likely to just fly away if you tried to kick them.
posted by jonesor at 8:36 AM on January 25, 2010 [1 favorite]


sign me up for a shirt and maybe a button or two
posted by rateit at 9:07 AM on January 25, 2010


It's still cool to punch awks though, right?

*awkward paws*
posted by Cold Lurkey at 9:08 AM on January 25, 2010 [1 favorite]


I don’t know if this is true; it was recounted to me by my cousin about his frat brother’s brother who is autistic, which is the way all urban legends start, but my life is enough better if this story is true that I have chosen to take it as factual.

The family was at the aquarium, and the little boy’s parents realize that their son (who is autistic) has disappeared. They are FRANTIC until they see him coming towards them with his backpack on, smiling happily and SOAKING wet. They have no idea what happened but they immediately leave to take him home. He smells TERRIBLE, so the moment they get home they send him in to have a bath. A few minutes later, his mother walks by the bathroom and hears a weird noise, so she knocks on the door and then opens it to check on her son, and there is the boy’s backpack lying open on the floor and there is her son sitting in the tub next to a real live penguin.
posted by Mrs. Pterodactyl at 9:16 AM on January 25, 2010 [4 favorites]


Best Penguin Joke Ever. (SLYT)
posted by webhund at 9:17 AM on January 25, 2010


Only a loon would have the gull to kick a penguin.
posted by benzenedream at 9:31 AM on January 25, 2010 [4 favorites]


100 pounds of awesome.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 9:58 AM on January 25, 2010


I recall an article about the making of Batman Returns, the one with the Penguin. In some scenes, live penguins are mixed in among penguin dolls and animatronic penguins.

The animal wranglers were hyper-protective of the penguins, doing a constant count of them so they don't get lost. Nineteen penguins into the pool, 19 penguins out of the pool...

Until one day, the count comes up with one penguin missing. They immediately close down the set and begin searching.

They find the penguin several frantic minutes later. He had waddled up to one of the animatronic penguins, leaned against it, and fell asleep. Several people had walked right past it.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 10:03 AM on January 25, 2010 [13 favorites]




My favorite penguin story is a little less exciting... We went to San Diego on our honeymoon, and of course we did Sea World. We're at the penguin exhibit, and there's a lady standing inside in a wetsuit In the cold water, cleaning the inside of the glass with a squeegee. After a bit, a penguin swims up to her and bumps her on the hip and then just nuzzles up to her. She's got a job to do, so she gently pushes the little guy away. He swims up to her again. *bump* She gently pushes the bird away. The scene repeats a few more times. Here comes the penguin again. *bump* She looks down at the critter, shrugs her shoulders, picks it up, and then continues to go about cleaning the glass with the penguin cradled in her arm. The bird looked really content. I've got a pic of that somewhere.
posted by azpenguin at 10:34 AM on January 25, 2010 [10 favorites]


It's nice to see that the proceeds from the merchandise are going to charities picked out by Colby.
posted by Atreides at 10:45 AM on January 25, 2010


Man, you should have seen them kicking Edgar Allan Poe.

Quoth the penguin, "Stop fucking kicking me!"
posted by pracowity at 10:46 AM on January 25, 2010 [1 favorite]


philip-random, that reminds me of Ensign Oates' epic death struggle with the giant, electric (tentacled?) penguin (1 min. 56 sec., after Scott of the Antarctic fights the lion).
posted by steef at 11:21 AM on January 25, 2010 [1 favorite]


....and there is her son sitting in the tub next to a real live penguin.

(NPR) a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5036612">"The New England Aquarium in Boston called a press conference Thursday to dispel an urban legend that a 12-year-old boy with autism had abducted one of its penguins....."
posted by anastasiav at 12:04 PM on January 25, 2010


What's that penguin doing on my computer?


BURMA!
posted by Sys Rq at 1:04 PM on January 25, 2010


I'm reminded of this lucky little fellow.
posted by jonesor at 1:11 PM on January 25, 2010 [1 favorite]


Why did you say "Burma"?
posted by e.e. coli at 2:27 PM on January 25, 2010


I panicked.
posted by Sys Rq at 2:36 PM on January 25, 2010


Y'know, if a Forced Meme causes some folks to buy cheaply-made items from a cheaply-scanned drawing that go towards a good cause, I'm okay with this INTERNET BLASPHEMY!!1!!
posted by june made him a gemini at 3:03 PM on January 25, 2010


.. however I will rage when we find out they really spent those funds to buy a damn penguin.
posted by june made him a gemini at 3:04 PM on January 25, 2010


This all makes me pretty uncomfortable. Non sequiter as cleverness.

It's not a non sequitur, his mother kicked a penguin.
posted by The Hamms Bear at 9:08 PM on January 25, 2010


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